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Lombardi’s Way - A column from the 24×7 founder that focuses on the Ravens, the NFL, Baltimore, the world of sports or life’s inspirations.

Battle Plans - During the season, you can expect to find thoughtful analysis in each of our Game Previews. We bring out the chalk and then talk X’s and O’s. In the offseason, Dev Panchwagh — The Scientist, digs beneath the surface and serves up insightful commentary on issues facing the Ravens and the NFL. School is in session!

Terrell Suggs reported to camp this summer in the best shape we’ve ever seen from the 6-time Pro Bowler, former Defensive Rookie of the Year (2003) and the former Defensive Player of the Year (2011). Early on his attention to nutritional detail and the extra hours in the weight room and with cardiovascular training paid big dividends on the field.

Through 8 games Suggs had 60 combined tackles and 9 sacks. In his DPOY campaign he had 70 combined tackles and 14 sacks during the entire season. And though he wasn’t forcing turnovers like he did in 2011 (7 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions) had he continued at his 2013 first half pace , another DPOY award was definitely a possibility.

Unfortunately for Suggs and the Ravens the sizzle ended by mid-season, the dividends stop rolling in, replaced instead by a gathering roll in Suggs’ mid-section.

His second half production fell markedly as the pounds picked up. Suggs looked slow and far too many times he disappeared in games. Even his dependability as an edge setter in the run defense weakened.

The leadership that Suggs was expected to provide vanished just like his presence on the field. Perhaps the swagger and confidence just weren’t there and the motivation to lead simply faded.

Here was a player, playing to save his contract (scheduled $7.8M salary in 2014) who suddenly lost his mojo and produced just 20 combined tackles and 1 sack (a gift from Tom Brady who fell down) over the course of the season’s second half.

What happened?

Earlier this season there were reports that Suggs’ wife was showing up at team headquarters unannounced and given the volatility of that relationship it would be no surprise if an unsettled home life and crazy rumors played a part in Suggs’ precipitous decline. Such distractions could derail anyone’s focus at work.

More importantly for the Ravens, they’ll need to decide if the $7.8M cap savings (and real salary savings) they would gain by releasing Suggs can be better spent elsewhere. Clearly the team has a multitude of roster blemishes to address.

Important questions must be debated at The Castle.

Can a player who will be 32 early in the 2014 season and can’t commit to remaining fit play to the level of a $12.4M cap number?

Will the Ravens get the 2013 Suggs from the first half or the second in 2014?

Is he motivated enough to be that impact player again?

The Ravens proved last offseason that they are willing to make difficult cap decisions when they traded a player (Anquan Boldin) who they believed wasn’t worth his $6M salary DESPITE his huge contributions during a Super Bowl run.

If Boldin wasn’t worth the $6M how can they justify $7.8M for a sizzle-less Suggs?

The bet here is that Ozzie Newsome will ask Suggs to take a pay cut and should he refuse then another difficult decision will be made. The founder of Ball So Hard University will no longer wear a Ravens uniform.

That’s the business of the NFL.

What should the Ravens do with Terrell Suggs?

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Tony is 24x7 Networks, LLC's founder (the parent of EutawStreetReport.com and RussellStreetReport.com) His work has been featured on various sports websites and he is a regular guest on 105.7 The Fan. A diehard Fab Four fan, Tony is a frustrated musician who thinks beating on the steering wheel is akin to being John Bonham. Follow Tony on Twitter @RussellStReport. More from Tony Lombardi

2+ Comments TonyLombardi says Dusty728 Thanks Dusty. That is an article that deserves its own space. Maybe we can get someone to give a behind the scenes account of the great William Donald 17 hours ago

Well we see where letting "good" players got us this year...so there are some players they need to look at carefully before letting them go...seems like it takes awhile for teams to jell , so a bunch of new ones will take years to get going again...but hey I'm only a fan...still appreciate what Suggs did...

That's what happens when you marry a stripper... These guy come and couldn't get a date in college for anything, then they get in the league and throw all their money at these straight tramps. First of all, she isn't that hot. She's light-skinned and skinny, that's it... Sucks that who he decided to make a home with....

I agree with Ian, but I do believe Flacco should be the only one receiving a paycut. How do you expect a defense to perform when they are on the field for 70% of the game and Suggs is a Veteran and has not given up on the Ravens at all, he has stuck by their side when the defense was the only reason we were winning games back in the day when our offense was an utter disgrace. No offense he had a decent first half, but a bad second half that doesn't compensate for how well he has done over the past seasons I mean damn a few years back he was defensive player of the year I VOTE STAY ALL DAY!!!! I would much rather someone who has been mediocre every year during the regular season such as Flacco get a pay cut because only elite and franchise QBs can adapt to the talent they have to work with, the receivers we had the past few years made Flacco look good and saved his butt numerous times and now that he has young receivers he is Flaky and inconsistent Joe like he has been the past few years. Also, I think we bring Ray outta retirement and give him all the money haha or give him the job as defensive coach that would sure spark a fire under the Ravens!!!

Hard to evaluate some of the talent on this team because most of them had off years. It seemed like just as the "D" was hitting it's stride at midseason, the strategy changed from pressuring the passer to trying to defending the pass on the back end and it failed miserably! Even Harbaugh lamented the change in his press conference, so maybe Pees will be replaced by someone with a more aggressive philosophy! It's axiomatic that the less you pressure the QB, the more you pressure the secondary. Given all the restrictive pass coverage rules, that's a recipe for disaster..........

What was once a staple in this organization (drafting unlike any other NFL Team and building or re-building a team) is no longer the case. The Ravens need to go back to what made them a perennial contender,.... draft smart, develop rookies into starters and contend. In recent years, they don't even look like the same organization. If they had signed Flacco to a new contract when they could have and should have, they wouldn't have had to make the ridiculous contract offer to him that they did. This is a management problem and it needs to be corrected QUICKLY ! ! !

I'd vote to trade him
that would save the 7.8 and get possibly a third or 4th rounder
(we did trade Boldin)
Suggs would get his 7.8 and his new team would get a motivated player for another first half of the season :D

I don't think he's worth the money nor do I think we can afford him and extensions are bad business and catch up with you in the end. I think the bigger question is how do you "not" get any production out of two All Pro outside linebackers during the last half of the season? Is it the D-Coordinator, the LB Coach, the d-scheme, the players or all of the above? The issue with the pass rush before this year was double teaming Suggs that limited his production. We were told and it made perfect sense that with Dumervill that couldn't, wouldn't, shouldn't happen as teams couldn't double team both, right? So whaaaaaat happened???

He had an incredible first half of the year and a miserable second half. Suggs has always been one of my favorite players and even I'm conflicted about what should happen. His cap number is simply too high for a 31-year old LB whose best years maybe behind him. That being said, there certainly isn't anybody on the team right now who could replace him and I imagine they're going to be pretty focused on the offensive side of the ball this offseason. I think it will come down to taking a pay cut or get released.

Sorry, but Suggs either has to agree to a pay-cut, or hit the road. When he's healthy and motivated, there isn't a more dangerous man on the field, but as this season showed us, those factors only go so far. More then anyone else (including that wet-blanket Flacco), Suggs was expected to set up and take the reins from Ray Lewis, especially when it came to leadership and motivation. Between everything the article mentioned and the "rumors" about his poor relationship with Elivis Dummervil, I can't see Suggs doing what needs to be done to "earn" the rest of his contract or remain a Raven. Please do not get me wrong, since I truly do like Suggs and have been absolutely grateful for everything he has done for my team, but just like my all-time favorite player (both on the Ravens and in the NFL) Ed Reed, there is no question that it is time for him to go (though in Ed's case it was because physcally, he has nothing left). Unless we get monster commitments and reassurances from Suggs that he will do better next year (in the form of contract stipulations and such), then there is simply no reason for him to return with all the money at stake. Throw in (or "out", as it were) Michael Oher and Ed Dickson (plus anyone else who contributed squat this season) and you suddenly have enough cap room to go out and aquire some proven talent before the draft!

I would cut him lose. I am sure that even if he took a paycut, letting him go would still make sense under the 80/20 rule.
Signing him to this contract ended up being a bust, I feel. What makes it even more of a bust is that he was performing horribly when he signed it.

Ravens should release him instead of bringing him back for one more uninspired performance. The money could be used to upgrade the center position and hopefully towards signing Monroe to a contract extension.

He wasn't performing horribly, I don't know where you got that from. He did have a bad year after he signed it in 2009 but then he followed up with two great years, one of which he won DPOY, and came back from an Achilles injury during the Super Bowl year. He didn't put up stats that year but the pass rush improved substantially when he returned. His 2nd half this year was awful but to call him a bust is ridiculous.

Filmstudy - Filmstudy is a sophisticated and comprehensive statistical analysis of the Ravens defense that incorporates a participation-by-play tracking system. This unique analysis is the brain child of the author and provides our readers with the real story behind the Ravens’ top end defensive results in the National Football League. Make Russellstreetreport.com the source for all of your Ravens football news and the forum to talk about what the Ravens fans want to hear most.

Lombardi’s Way - A column from the 24×7 founder that focuses on the Ravens, the NFL, Baltimore, the world of sports or life’s inspirations.

Battle Plans - During the season, you can expect to find thoughtful analysis in each of our Game Previews. We bring out the chalk and then talk X’s and O’s. In the offseason, Dev Panchwagh — The Scientist, digs beneath the surface and serves up insightful commentary on issues facing the Ravens and the NFL. School is in session!